A roller-coaster ride to Indiana
Emmaus’ Landino switches from JMU to Hoosiers to follow coach
Many kids who play high school sports dream of earning a Division I scholarship.
A select number of them actually get to fulfill their dream, but that journey is often filled with a recruiting process that can almost be nightmarish.
Emmaus football player Mario Landino didn’t encounter a nightmare but he was put on a recruiting roller-coaster ride during his process that ultimately ended with him as a commit to Indiana University.
Landino, an Eastern Pennsylvania Conference all-star on both the offensive and defensive lines and the EPC South’s defensive MVP, had a few days of uncertainty after Curt Cignetti left James Madison to become the head coach at Indiana.
That put Landino and several JMU recruits in limbo.
“The whole thing with JMU and the coaches leaving and then having to wait and see if I would get an offer from Indiana … that was really a tough process,”
Landino said Wednesday night after he invited Emmaus coaches and family members to a signing party at his house.
“Now being able to sit down and sign my name on the paper and make everything official is a great feeling. There are no more ‘What if ’ situations to worry about. I have a home and I am happy.”
Cignetti resigned from JMU and signed on immediately at Indiana on Nov. 30 after leading the Dukes to a 52-9 record over five seasons and a successful transition from an NCAA FCS member of the Colonial Athletic Association to a FBS-level member of the Sun Belt Conference. His 2023 team went 11-1 and earned an Armed Forces Bowl berth against Air Force on Saturday.
Landino was excited about heading to Harrisonburg, Virginia.
“When Cignetti left that Thursday we were all just wondering who was coming in,” Landino said. “I was still committed and excited to be going to JMU. Then Saturday came around and Coach [Greg] Schiano called me from Rutgers. And then Indiana called me the next day. I weighed my options and talked with [new JMU] coach [Bob] Chesney. Indiana was the best option for me and now we’re
here and I am happy. But it was definitely a roller coaster ride. I went from nervous to excited and now, just settled.”
Landino is appreciative of Cignetti and defensive line coach Pat Kuntz, who followed Cignetti from JMU to Indiana.
When Landino’s signing became official, Kuntz posted on social media: “Super Mario!! Big time player with all the intangibles to be great. So excited to coach you!”
“They both have the faith in me to bring me to the next level,” Landino said. “Unfortunately, they didn’t bring everybody who had committed to JMU and I feel for those guys. But it’s a business and I’m just happy they brought me along and I have the loyalty and relationship there. I am glad I didn’t have to start all over again.”
Landino said he knows Indiana has a reputation of being a basketball school thanks to the Bobby Knight days. The football team is coming off a 3-9 season, 1-8 in the Big Ten.
“When I went up there all I heard was ‘basketball school, basketball school,’ but Cignetti has come in with guns ablazing,” Landino said. “He has plans that people don’t expect from the Indiana program. I’ve been there once, and I see people’s heads turning. I see a new culture coming into the program. It’s really exciting to see the players buy in and have that desire to win a Big Ten championship and wanting to make the playoffs, especially with the playoff field being expanded. Coach Cignetti is starting a new era, a new culture and people are going to say we’re a basketball and football school. We’re going to make a name for ourselves.”
Landino, listed at 6-foot-4 and 255 pounds, made a name for himself over the last several seasons at Emmaus. In 2023 he had 90 tackles, including three sacks, in helping the Green Hornets make the District 11 6A semifinals.
“Mario is a very diligent worker academically and on the football field and that’s why he had all the
opportunities he had for the next level,” Emmaus coach Harold Fairclough said. “He had an outstanding senior year. We knew it was going to be a long time before we saw someone come through this program again like Mario. We cherished every practice. We watched him dominate practice and dominate games. We just enjoyed being around him because he’s such a great kid. He got along well with his peers and his coaches. There wasn’t a moment we didn’t cherish.”
Fairclough, who has been through the recruiting process with several Division I commits before, including eventual Yale commit Dylan Darville last year, said he tried to be supportive of Landino as he went through the process.
“It was a whirlwind for him and he was wondering what was going to happen next, but I just kept reminding him through the whole thing that he’s never going to go through this again and to try to enjoy it,” Fairclough said. “Things worked themselves out. He’s excited for the opportunity and we’re excited for him.”
Fairclough said that if the schedule allows, he and Green Hornets coaches will try to see Landino when Indiana comes to the East Coast side of the Big Ten and plays at Penn State, Maryland or Rutgers.
Landino, who will graduate from Emmaus early and will leave for Indiana in early January, said he’s looking forward to getting adjusted to his new school and the new demands
He’s excited about getting to play in front of 100,000 or more at some of the Big Ten venues.
“I’ve just got to get in the weight room and can’t wait to get a head start of what’s coming for me,” he said. “I need to put weight on because at Emmaus I was a defensive end and at Indiana I will be an interior lineman and I need to be ready to go against the centers and guards in the Big Ten. Big Ten football is legit. I want to be ready for spring football and before you know it, the season will be here and getting to run out and play in front of 100,000 people will be really cool.”